Harvard Westlake

GIRLS' VOLLEYBALL Harvard-Westlake 3, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy 0 : The Tologs fell to the archrival Wolverines in straight games for the second time this season in Thursday night's 25-19, 25-15, 25-19 Mission League road loss. “I think it was more of the inexperience of playing in a harsh environment and just trying to climb over that ledge right there where you see what's going on and you understand what's going on, but then it's putting all of that into actually playing volleyball,” said first-year Sacred Heart Coach Ernest Banaag, whose team slipped to 10-11 and 4-3 in league.

PASADENA — The window of opportunity for the St. Francis High baseball team to make the CIF playoffs out of the Mission League remains open, although the Golden Knights' recently completed two-game series with Harvard-Westlake certainly didn't do much to help the cause. After losing by 10 runs in a shutout on the road Tuesday, St. Francis was beaten, 9-3, by the Wolverines at Jackie Robinson Field on Friday afternoon for their fourth loss in a row and third straight in league.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Perhaps it's not an understatement to say that the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy girls' volleyball team ran into its biggest impediment toward a Mission League championship at host Harvard-Westlake. While the Wolverines' tall frontline presented several issues for the Tologs, maybe no obstacle was bigger than the “mental road block” Flintridge Sacred Heart seems incapable of overcoming as was evident in a 25-21, 25-13, 25-18 league sweep for Harvard-Westlake on Tuesday evening.

PASADENA - With virtually an all new lineup in play this season, the members of the St. Francis High golf team have an eye toward reaching the CIF playoffs for the first time since 2009. In trying to achieve that goal during the next two months, the Golden Knights figure to be involved in some close Mission League matches to test their fortitude. So far, the Golden Knights have met essentially every challenge thrown their way and, in the process, are off to an undefeated start to league.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE — Despite a stellar club and Olympic Developmental resume, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy freshman Tera Trujillo was foreign to all the pomp and circumstance that surrounded the Tologs playing rival Harvard-Westlake. After Wednesday night, she’s not. Trujillo’s goal in the 47th minute stood as the only score of the match, as Flintridge Sacred Heart upended the seven-time reigning Mission League champions, 1-0, in both teams’ league opener at St. Francis High’s Friedman Field.

LA CANADA - Brimming with emotion and anticipation heading into its pivotal Mission League match Friday night, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy's soccer team got the swift start it needed. But it was the resiliency displayed by the Tologs that carried them to their biggest victory of the season. Led by a goal and an assist each from Savannah Viola and Hailey James and a game-winning score from Sarah Teegarden, the Tologs upended archrival Harvard-Westlake, 3-2, at St. Francis High to stay in the hunt for a league crown.

Mirjam Swanson GLENDALE -- The 20 members of the Crescenta Valley girls' water polo team aren't hiding the fact that they're worked up about the 5;30 p.m. CIF Southern Section Division III semifinal match against Harvard-Westlake at L.A. Valley College. "The girls are ready," the Falcon's fourth-year coach Peter Kim said. "I'm sure they'll spend the first minute of the match calming themselves down, but then they'll be all right." Some nervousness can only be expected: This is match is huge.

Hamlet Nalbandyan FREMONT TENNIS CENTER -- There was a reason the Hoover High boys' tennis team didn't come into Thursday's CIF Southern Section Division I second-round match against Harvard-Westlake with high expectations. The Wolverines were the second seed in the division and had rolled past the first round without losing a set. And despite mixing up the lineup, the Tornadoes couldn't overcome the physical ability of Harvard-Westlake, falling 18-0, at the Fremont Tennis Center, the designated home court for Hoover.

Erik Boal GLENDALE SPORTS COMPLEX -- Over the past three weeks, the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy softball team and Coach George Tibbetts have developed a stiff upper lip. Following Wednesday's 4-3, eight-inning loss to Harvard-Westlake, the Tologs' mental toughness and competitive spirit were tested once again. Sacred Heart took the No. 3-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division IV and Mission League-frontrunner to the limit, but fell short at the Glendale Sports Complex.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE ? The way things were going for Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy?s soccer team, it seemed as if this might very well be another season of disappointment when it came to playing rival Harvard-Westlake. But for the first time this millennium, victory was to be had by the Tologs against the Wolverines. A Mimi Roukoz first-half tally stood as the game-winner with the Sacred Heart defense standing tall for a full 80 minutes, leading the Tologs to a 1-0 Mission League win against Harvard-Westlake on Friday night at St. Francis High.

AZUSA - During part of its historic playoff run, the St. Francis High basketball team had some incredible fourth-quarter rallies to land a spot in the CIF Southern Section Division III-A championship game. It started with an opening-round overtime win against Yucca Valley before coming back late to defeat neighbor and third-seeded La Cañada in the semifinals. On Friday night in the title game against Oak Park at Azusa Pacific University's Felix Event Center, St. Francis found itself in yet another comeback mode, rallying from a five-point deficit in the final minute before seeing its bid for the program's first CIF title cut short in a 60-53 defeat.

STUDIO CITY - Whether or not anyone within the Pacific League or CIF Southern Section Division V will stop the Crescenta Valley High girls' water polo team from repeating as CIF Southern Section divisional champion will not be determined for weeks. In the meanwhile, the Falcons had no problems demonstrating that they could play in another stratum, as Division V second-ranked Crescenta Valley was at times dominant in frustrating and ultimately defeating Division III No. 2 Harvard-Westlake, 15-9, on the road Wednesday afternoon.

LOS ANGELES - The idea that sporting events can turn over a matter of inches is as cliche as it comes in the world of sports. But for the Flintridge Sacred Heart soccer team on Monday, a matter of inches may have cost them in a 2-1 Mission League loss against rival and CIF Southern Section Division I second-ranked Harvard-Westlake at Occidental College. Trailing by a goal in the 47th minute, Tologs goalkeeper Dani Garcia appeared to make a clean save on a shot from the Wolverines' Paige Howard, but the ball rebounded off Garcia and, in the eyes of the line judge, just over the end line as Garcia laid out in an attempt to stop the goal.

A look at Sophia Coffey's numbers proved to be a strong indicator of what she brought to the court for the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy volleyball team each match this season. Coffey offered a variety of skills and proved to be a force on offense and defense for the Tologs en route to them sharing the Mission League championship and advancing to the CIF Southern Section semifinals for the first time since 2007. With the junior setter often dictating the pace with her astute court awareness, the Tologs proved to be a formidable team in league and CIF Southern Section Division I-A. Coffey finished with gaudy numbers that included 911 assists, 221 digs, 62 kills and 41 aces.

LA CAÑADA - In a game rife with plenty of statistical splendor, the St. Francis High football team's most important statistic was the eighth win it earned. Dominating from start to finish, the Golden Knights ran away with a 44-14 Mission League victory over Harvard-Westlake on Friday night at Friedman Field to improve to 8-0 for the program's best start since 1966. “It's amazing, first 8-0 team since 1966,” said St. Francis receiver John Carroll, who had six catches for 111 yards and touchdowns of 19 and 44 yards.

LA CAÑADA - Nearly 1,900 feet above sea level, the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy girls' volleyball program knows a little something about altitude. And it was all about attitude that put the Tologs in rarefied air Thursday evening. For the first time in seven years and 15 consecutive matches, Flintridge Sacred Heart defeated rival Harvard-Westlake, 25-23, 25-27, 25-21, 25-19 to split leadership atop the Mission League standings and at least put the Tologs on track for a share of the program's first league crown since 2006.

There wouldn't appear to be much drama in store for this week's Pacific League matchup between the Crescenta Valley and Hoover high football teams. It does, however, have all the makings of a trap game. While the Tornadoes haven't won since a second-week forfeit, the Falcons are riding an emotional high after wins over Burbank (48-47) and Glendale (27-7). CV could be tempted to look past Hoover with its biggest game of the year coming Nov. 1 against first-place and reigning-champion Muir (6-1, 4-0 in league)